Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts

Video footages from an event held last week at Harold Park Hotel in Glebe on the issues of metadata retention, global surveillance and the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), featuring Scott Ludlam, Samantha Castro and Jacob Grech.

I unfortunately missed the panel but the lovely organisers put up the vids onto youtube. Gracias amigo!

Personally I think it's always nice to hear more voices on important issues like internet neutrality and privacy. The footages are a bit lengthy so when you've got some time at a break, grab a cup of tea and just enjoy.

I've always found myself disagreeing with those mainstream hollywood-exclusive awards. But in this case I do find my own opinions aligning with the oscar and the globe, and many others. Julianne Moore delivered yet another fantastic performance but the whole film is quite plain and not matching up to that level.

It was quite emotional, I know I teared up for a couple of times and the girl who sat next to me was weeping at the end of the credit roll. But a good film requires more than the ability to make your eyes water. The film focuses very much on Moore's character and how she struggles through losing her memories bit by bit. However, the very 'catchphrase', emphasised in the trailer and also in the movie, 'struggling to be a part of things'. A part of what things? As the camera focuses primarily on Moore I had pretty much no idea what other characters were doing. Yes we did see that her eldest daughter got a twin, which took up about, 1 min of the entire film? And then what else? We know that her husband, played by Alex Baldwin, was planning to move but it also lacks much in-depth look into the conflict of interest of these two characters at the end of the event especially. And Kristen Stewart's character, how about her career and everything?

By the end of the film I couldn't help but feel that the heroine was only a part of her own struggling, which by itself is fine but somehow due to the skew balance amongst the characters her family members just appear to be very, very flat.

It sort of reminded me of a Japanese film that came out last year called 'Our Family', starring my fav Satoshi Tsumabuki. Both centred on the mum of the family who's gradually losing her memories, only different causes but still very similar symtoms at the beginning. The difference is that 'Our Family' did indeed emphasised the 'family' concept and paid a large amount of screen time on other fam member's actions. How they react, how their lives are affected and how they struggle to overcome. At the end you get a much more heartfelt movie that really explores the true impact of such illness.

Of course 'Our Family' is probably going too far away from what the director of 'Still Alice' wanted to achieve as they obviously have different centres and purposes and thus they can't be directly compared against each other. But in my personal humble opinion, 'Still Alice' sacrificed itself to maximise the halo around Julianne Moore's already impeccable performance.

Last thing I would like to add is that I did find some of the cinematography quite appropriate and helped to amplify the protagonist's emotional shifts throughout the film.

Overall rating: 6.5/10



Still Alice will be officially released in Australia this Thursday 29 Jan.


Our Family (ぼくたちの家族) was shown during Japan Film Festival 2014.

#IMAGINE by UNICEF featuring the original John Lennon and also heaps of other artists. A beautiful interpretation of a heart-moving classic.

Sogi's Story, here

This one is a graphic novel developed by UNSW's Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRCentre) aiming at promoting LGBTI rights in 16 African countries. Based on research and I can really see how it can get people thinking. More info and the full graphic novel is at the link above.

Show them some support and spread the word xo

Hittade detta filmklipp på Dramatens youtube kanal.

Found this clip on the Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre's youtube channel. Sorry no English subs. 

Saw this wonderful documentary last night at George's Event, hosted by Queer Screen.

Synopsis from IMDb 'A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.'

It is hands down one of the most emotional films I've seen this year. So powerful that I had to try so hard not to burst into tears during the entire film (and just FYI, I failed at the end). Last time I cried so bad at cinema was last year's Blackfish, which you should all watch, but unlike that time, I wasn't crying of anger, sadness or disgust, I was crying of joy. I was so happy for them, so proud of them and so grateful of them for what they did and what they went through.

The director said that the film is coming to cinema for public audience this early October (Dendy Newtown for Sydneysiders) and also they're planning for a special screening in a few weeks time at the Australian parliament with Ted Olson coming over, a pro-gay-marriage American conservative to a bunch of homophobic Aussie conservatives.

Highly recommend to everyone interested or affected or involved in LGBTQIA activism. Also highly recommend to everyone who thinks f*gg*ts should be burnt in hell. Although if that's the case you should really just get off my blog and f*ck off before that.

Rating: 8/10

An excellent speech I discovered today through Ourhenhouse on the linkage between animal rights and human rights activism.

Very inspiring and I would recommend this to everybody.

Fashion For Fair Sex Tee (Black) 350 sek exkl. shipping

A recent campaign started in Sweden calling for EU to address and stop human trafficking and sex slavery.

I see prostitution as a occupation just as respectful as others and I know that some people are proud of what they're doing (although of course you can argue that they were just acting). However the cold hard fact is people get nasty when money is evolved and the number of women and children trafficked every year to Europe and forced to provide sexual service out of their own will is heartbreaking and infurious.

Therefore, even though I do personally think that asking for a complete ban on prostitution is too agressive, it might be the most efficient way to prevent trafficking from happening. How efficient? I don't know. I don't think those who enslave women and children really abide by the law but at least it could kill off the visible ones.

In an ideal world people would respect each other and sex workers would only do it because they want to. But we're not living in that world. Just like in an ideal world people would respect cattle and chickens and people could keep exotic pets without breaking apart their families and driving the species to extinction.

Maybe you'd think I'm insensitive to compare women and children to cows and tigers but I don't think other animals deserve less respect than we do. The tragedies behind your dairy products or cute cheetah cubs would definitely not be any less inhumane.

Just some thoughts, I think I've rambled enough, should probably wrap it up now.

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Back to the topic, please sign the petition here to stop human trafficking and sex slavery

You can also purchase the amazing looking tees here to financially support the project. If your country is not listed in the shipping destinations you can email them to add it to the list.

Also, as I've mentioned above, petitions to ban private exotic pet ownership here. Or you know, just think twice before you decide to get a different pet than anybody else. Think about the dirty trade behind those cute eyes and the bloody tragedy how the cub lost its mum.

For dairy and other farm animal rights, first please support free-range/organic etc products. Here's a pledge to help ban battery hen cages in Australia.

Welcome to share ongoing animal-/human- rights petitions with me.